CHARLES E. TOLMAN, JR., LCDR, USN

Charles Tolman, Jr. '25

Date of birth: June 25, 1903

Date of death: February 1, 1943

Age: 39

Lucky Bag

From the 1925 Lucky Bag:

Charles Edward Tolman

Concord, Massachusetts

"Spike" "Shorty" "Charley"

SPIKE came to us as the publicity agent of the Old Bay state—and his extensive eulogies of Boston and its women would entice any mere mortal from his native haunts. Whence cometh ye line, but add to this the lure of manly beauty, exquisite dancing, and that "savoir faire" and one is not forced to wonder why the weaker sex think our Saturday evening entertainments are the acme of enjoyment. But after all, Spike's heart has long since been captivated by a fair damsel from the wilds of Concord, and we have always seen him blind to the wiles of the femmes; always thinking of naught but the O.A.O. Such is the course of true love.

The boy does not claim to be an intellectual lion, but chalk fights have seldom phased him—impossible probs and entropy got down on their knees before him. Incidentally, exams are as nothing in his young life—"Bilged," say we; "Fruit" says he!

He has never forgiven Emerson for having written that ode to his home podunk, "by the rude bridge that arched the flood—etc."

"Oh, girls—I'm just a perfect fool about him; he's so cute!"

Class Tennis (3, 2); Class Boxing (3, 2); Gymkhana (4).

Charles Edward Tolman

Concord, Massachusetts

"Spike" "Shorty" "Charley"

SPIKE came to us as the publicity agent of the Old Bay state—and his extensive eulogies of Boston and its women would entice any mere mortal from his native haunts. Whence cometh ye line, but add to this the lure of manly beauty, exquisite dancing, and that "savoir faire" and one is not forced to wonder why the weaker sex think our Saturday evening entertainments are the acme of enjoyment. But after all, Spike's heart has long since been captivated by a fair damsel from the wilds of Concord, and we have always seen him blind to the wiles of the femmes; always thinking of naught but the O.A.O. Such is the course of true love.

The boy does not claim to be an intellectual lion, but chalk fights have seldom phased him—impossible probs and entropy got down on their knees before him. Incidentally, exams are as nothing in his young life—"Bilged," say we; "Fruit" says he!

He has never forgiven Emerson for having written that ode to his home podunk, "by the rude bridge that arched the flood—etc."

"Oh, girls—I'm just a perfect fool about him; he's so cute!"

Class Tennis (3, 2); Class Boxing (3, 2); Gymkhana (4).

Loss

Charles was killed in action on February 1, 1943 when his command, USS De Haven (DD 469), was sunk by Japanese aircraft.

From Find A Grave:

Commander Tolman became the commanding officer of USS De Haven (DD-469) upon her commissioning on 21 September 1942. The destroyer steamed to the South Pacific in November 1942 and supported operations in the Solomon Islands. On the afternoon of 1 February 1943, while escorting landing craft, De Haven was attacked by six Japanese dive bombers. Fighting off the attackers, the destroyer downed three enemy planes before a bomb struck her navigating bridge, stopped her, and killed Tolman. Two more hits and a near miss doomed De Haven, which sank within two minutes. Tolman was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his valiant leadership.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Charles married Helen Tibbetts on May 2, 1927, in Manhattan.
His father Charles Edward was in the insurance business in Boston for many years. He died in April, 1936, and was interred in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. His mother was Bernice, sister Mary, and brothers Lt. (j.g.) William and Corp. Julian, U.S.A. armed forces.

From navsource:

Charles E. "Spike" Tolman was born on 25 June 1903 in Concord, Mass. and entered the United States Naval Academy in the summer of 1921 and graduated on 4 June 1925. After serving in battleship Utah (BB-31), he was transferred to Warden (DD-288) in 1926. Tolman then completed training courses at the Naval Torpedo Station, Newport, R.I., and at the Submarine Base, New London, Conn. He served in submarines O-4 in 1928 and S-22 from 1929 to 1932 when he returned to the Naval Academy for two years. Tolman served in submarine S--46 in 1934 and commanded S-30 from April 1935 to May 1937. He was attached to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations for 17 months before assuming command of Spearfish (SS-190) on 7 October 1939. In January 1941, Tolman joined the staff of Commander, Submarines, Atlantic Fleet.

His wife was listed as next of kin.

Navy Cross

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Commander Charles Edward Tolman (NSN: 0-59559), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the Destroyer U.S.S. DeHAVEN (DD-469), during operations in the Solomon Islands in January and February 1943. Commander Tolman operated his ship as group leader during the bombardment of enemy-held plantations on New Georgia Island and was directly responsible for demolition of important buildings and large fires and explosions in adjacent munitions dumps. On 1 February 1943, when eight Japanese dive bombers viciously attacked his ship and dropped a bomb on the navigating bridge, Commander Tolman courageously carried on until two internal explosions destroyed the DeHAVEN. His conduct throughout was in keeping with the highest traditions of the Navy of the United States. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
General Orders: Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 320 (November 1943)

Namesake

USS Tolman (DM 28) was named for Charles; the ship was sponsored by his widow, Helen.

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.

July 1925

Ensign, Navy Yard, Boston

October 1925

Ensign, USS Utah

Others at this command:

CDR Isaac Kidd '06

January 1926

Ensign, USS Utah

Others at this command:

CDR Isaac Kidd '06

October 1926

Ensign, USS Worden

Others at this command:

ENS Thomas Fraser '24

January 1927

Ensign, USS Worden

Others at this command:

ENS Thomas Fraser '24

April 1927

Ensign, USS Worden

Others at this command:

ENS Thomas Fraser '24

October 1927

Ensign, under instruction, Naval Torpedo Station, Newport, Rhode Island

Others at this command:

ENS Andrew Harris '25

ENS John Crane '26

ENS Claude Haman '26

January 1928

Ensign, under instruction, Submarine Base New London, Connecticut

Others at this command:

LT Robert Smith '20

LTjg William Hobby, Jr. '23

ENS Julian Morrison, Jr. '25

April 1928

Ensign, under instruction, Submarine Base New London, Connecticut

Others at this command:

LT Robert Smith '20

LTjg William Hobby, Jr. '23

ENS Julian Morrison, Jr. '25

July 1928

Ensign, USS O-4

October 1928

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS O-4

January 1929

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS O-4

April 1929

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS O-4

July 1929

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS O-4

Others at or embarked at this command:

LTjg Robert Johnson '24 (Submarine Division 2)

October 1929

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS S-22

January 1930

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS S-22

April 1930

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS S-22

October 1930

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS S-22

January 1931

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS S-22

April 1931

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS S-22

July 1931

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS S-22

October 1931

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS S-22

January 1932

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS S-22

April 1934

Lieutenant (j.g.), Naval Academy

Others at this command:

July 1934

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS S-46

October 1934

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS S-46

January 1935

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS S-46